The Medieval Low Countries

In 1419, Romani, then called Egyptians, visited the Burgundian Low Countries for the first time. Based on unexploited sources, mainly municipal accounts, this article charts the first period of this migration, which ended in 1435. It thus seeks to offer new insights into the chronology, reception and perception of these foreigners in a highly urbanised and prosperous region, with a particular focus on the county of Flanders. It also examines the correlation between the attraction of the Low Countries to the Egyptians and the politics of the Burgundian Duke Philip the Good. Finally, this paper explores the impact the acquaintance with ‘the other’ had on Netherlandish society and how this was reflected in the visual arts.

Despite the availability of a vast corpus of sources, the solemn entries of the prince-bishops of Liège during the medieval period have attracted little scholarly attention. Access to primary sources, mainly narrative, allow for a clear reconstruction of such events and an analysis of their political and social significance. The aim of this paper is therefore to provide an initial summary of the information available on this topic, and to encourage more in-depth studies on specific aspects of this ceremony. This paper will provide a historiographical review and describe the successive stages of the solemn entry. It will then examine one element that has particularly caught the attention of chroniclers: the numerous festivities organised throughout the inauguration ceremonies. This paper will pay particular attention to the evolution of the ceremonial and the introduction of new elements and new actors in the process. It will also analyse a series of features that help elucidate the important power games at play behind such solemn and festive events.

Maarten Lem est un marchand d’origine brugeoise, installé à Lisbonne où il a développé ses affaires pendant au moins une quinzaine d’années, et où il s’est établi avec une concubine dont il a eu des enfants. Revenu à Bruges vers 1466, il poursuivit le commerce avec le Portugal, devint vite bourgmestre, et s’est marié avec une fille du patriciat dont il a eu d’autres enfants. Déjà sous le règne de Charles le Téméraire et surtout sous le règne de Marie et de Maximilien dont il est proche, il joue un rôle politique important. Il meurt prématurément en 1485. Il offre le cas intéressant d’un marchand qui s’est élevé dans la société, portugaise d’abord puis brugeoise, devenu homme de pouvoir en Flandre.

Between 1386 and 1400, the Burgundian duke Philip the Bold developed the strategic port town of Sluis into a fortified complex. The so-called Great Castle controlled all commercial traffic between Bruges and the North Sea from the right bank of the Zwin estuary, backed by the Tower of Burgundy on the opposite bank, a smaller but equally impressive structure. While French architectural influence and financial input were undeniable in the conceptual phase of the castle, its command would become increasingly oriented towards the Low Countries. The development and management of these castles provides an ideal angle to study the way in which the Dukes of Burgundy asserted their control over important geostrategic points in their realm.